Unconditional Love

  “Tell me,” I whispered.

  “When it hit me what we had done, I panicked and I guess I let my imagination run wild when I said those things to you. You’ve never treated me like that. I swear to you. You’ve made me feel so wonderful. I feel cherished when you make love to me. I feel wanted when you look at me with lust in your eyes.”

  She looked down and began crying. I pulled her to me and wanted more than anything to tell her how much I loved her.

  I held her for a few minutes before she looked up at me and said, “It was really hot.”

  I smiled and said, “Hottest damn thing I’ve ever done.”

  She grinned and said, “Me too.”

  I laughed and picked her up as she wrapped her legs around me.

  “I can’t get enough of you, mi amor. I rushed to your house as soon as we landed. I never wanted you to find out that I was still in the Marines.”

  She looked into my eyes and tilted her head. “Can I ask why you tell everyone you’re not in the Marines?”

  My heart slammed in my chest. “I um…I kind of work undercover. I can’t really talk about it.”

  She nodded her head and said, “Good enough for me. I promise I won’t say anything to anyone.”

  I pushed her against the wall and kissed her. “I love you so much,” she whispered as I buried my face in her neck and closed my eyes.

  Guarda mi corazón.

  I wanted so badly to tell her I loved her, but I wasn’t sure I was ever going to be able to tell her that.

  I gently set her down and she smiled and picked up the soap and washcloth and began washing me off.

  The next thing I remembered I was lying down and pulling her next to me as I fell asleep.

  Right before I drifted off to sleep she whispered,

  “I’ll love you unconditionally, Lark Williams. Forever.”

  When I saw the house come into view I took a deep breath. Tristan had already called to tell me our mother was all over Ryn from the first moment she laid eyes on her.

  “Lark? Are you okay?” Azurdee asked. I looked at her and smiled. “I am. I’m just worried my mother is going to attack you and start talking babies and shit. I don’t want you to stress about what she says to you, okay?”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “Please. Wait until you meet my parents.”

  I swallowed hard just thinking about meeting her father. I gripped the steering wheel harder. When she placed her hand on my arm I instantly relaxed.

  “It’ll be fine. Please don’t worry.”

  I nodded and tried to smile.

  “Jesus, that house is huge!” Azurdee said.

  And there was my mother. Right on cue. Tristan and Ryn were walking up behind her as my mother jumped up and down clapping her hands. I wanted to just keep driving and leave.

  I stopped a few feet back and put the truck in park and turned and looked at Azurdee. She was smiling as she watched my mother.

  “Azurdee?”

  She tilted her head as she looked at me. “I um…I haven’t brought anyone here before, besides Nikki. I um…well I…”

  She placed her hand on the side of my face and smiled the most beautiful smile. “Stop. It’s okay and I just love that you brought me here to meet your parents. Lark, I’m not trying to push you into anything you’re not ready for. Please know that.”

  I closed my eyes and opened them again. The look in her eyes would have dropped me to my knees if I had been standing up. “I’m scared, Azurdee. I’m so fucking scared of the feelings that I have for you.”

  Her lips parted open and she looked like she wanted to say something but she bit down on her lower lip and then said, “It’s a shame your mother is standing there waiting for us, because I really want to crawl onto your lap and make love to you.”

  I looked back at my mother and sighed. “Ah fuck. This is going to be a long two weeks.”

  I jumped out of the truck and waved to my screaming mother. “Michael! Oh don’t make me wait another second!”

  I smiled and walked up to the passenger side of my truck. I opened the door and held my hand out and whispered, “Get ready for the monster.”

  She punched me in the stomach and said, “Stop that!”

  Azurdee turned and began walking toward my mother. “Oh. My. God! You are beautiful.” She placed her hands on Azurdee’s face and looked her up and down. “Oh, Michael. Where did you find such a beautiful young lady?”

  Azurdee’s cheeks flushed and I beamed with pride. I glanced up at Tristan, who was laughing. I walked up to Ryn and gave her a kiss on the cheek and said hello. I reached for Tristan’s hand to shake it. He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug and whispered, “Thank fuck you showed up. Ryn was about to kill Mom!”

  I laughed and gave him a push.

  Before I knew it, my mother had hooked her arm through Azurdee’s and was walking into the house. “Tonight there’s a dance in town. I’ll introduce you to all our friends. You do two-step, right darling?”

  Azurdee nodded her head and said, “Yes ma’am, I do.”

  “Oh good! My Michael loves to dance.”

  Azurdee looked over her shoulder and winked at me as she said, “Yes ma’am, he does.”

  “If you love that girl you will get her away from Mom, fast,” Tristan said as he slapped me on the back and put his arm around Ryn’s waist. Then he made his way into the house behind my mother and Azurdee.

  I stood there and watched as Azurdee laughed at everything my mother said. She immediately fit in, and I had no doubt my mother would love her.

  The most overwhelming feeling moved through my body as I smiled and shook my head.

  I loved her. I loved Azurdee Emerson more than the air I breathed.

  I hadn’t had this much fun or laughed this much in a long time. I loved Lark’s parents already. Lark had made Joyce and Peter out to be terrible, but they were kindhearted and loved their two sons more than anything.

  I sat at the wood table and tried to listen to Joyce and her best friend Terry talk about teaching me how to make a proper cobbler. Once Joyce found out I loved to cook and was opening my own restaurant, she was in heaven. I had made everyone French toast for dinner after Lark insisted it was the best he’d ever had.

  I had been in the kitchen talking to Joyce when Lark walked in dressed in Wranglers and cowboy boots. When I looked down and saw the cowboy hat in his hands, I was almost positive I moaned. He smiled and winked at me as he made his way outside. Joyce leaned over and whispered, “I’m going to guess this is the first time you’ve seen my boy in his natural element.”

  I shook my head. I’d seen Lark in jeans and boots before but something about how he looked right now was causing my breathing to pick up and my body to ache for his touch.

  “I can’t believe he’s mine,” I whispered. I slammed my hand over my mouth and looked at Joyce. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

  She began laughing and said, “Azurdee, I’ve never seen my son look at another woman like he looks at you.”

  I dropped my hand and said, “What about Nikki?”

  Her smile faded briefly before she smiled sweetly at me and said, “You know about Nikki?”

  I nodded and said, “Yes.”

  “He loved her, Azurdee. He was devastated by her death, but the way he looks at you…” she smiled bigger and looked into my eyes. “I’ve never seen him so in love with someone in my life.”

  I sucked in a breath of air. “You think he’s in love with me?”

  She giggled and said, “Please. I know my son and he is head over heels in love with you, sweetheart.”

  I had to grab onto the counter. My heart felt like it had just dropped to my stomach and my stomach was doing some insane dance. I felt my face blushing and when Ryn walked into the kitchen, she looked at me and said, “Are you okay?” She walked up to me and whispered, “Did she say something to upset you?”

  I shook my head and said, “No, not at all.??
?

  Tristan walked in behind Ryn and said, “Come on y’all, or we are going to be late. I’m ready to get my dance on.”

  I glanced over and looked at Lark talking to some guy. He was our age and I was guessing Lark knew him from high school. When Lark threw his head back and laughed, I suppressed the whimper I wanted to let out.

  Everyone was so incredibly nice and they all seemed to love Lark. Although everyone here called him Michael except for Tristan, Ryn, and me. Scott had told me Lark began going by his middle name after Nikki died. I had no idea what the hidden meaning was behind why he did that and I would never ask him.

  Tristan walked up to me and smiled. As I glanced up at him, I smiled back. He was just as handsome as Lark. Same height and build and almost the same smile. I’d never seen a smile like Lark’s. It melted my heart and I swore I fell more in love with him every time he smiled at me.

  “Care to dance with me?” He glanced at Ryn, who was sitting at the other end of the table talking to Peter. Tristan seemed to treat Ryn more like a friend. There were a few times she went to kiss him and he would just smile and turn away. Other times he kissed her with so much passion I had to look away.

  I looked back up at Tristan and nodded my head as I held my hand out for him. Jason Aldean’s “Even if I Wanted To Be” began playing, and we both started dancing. We didn’t speak for the first minute or so. I finally pulled away some and said, “Why are you with Ryn?”

  His face was shocked, but then he slowly smiled. “My brother said you were a smart one. Does it show that much?”

  I smiled slightly and said, “Maybe not to everyone, but it does to me.”

  He tilted his head and asked, “What shows?”

  I quickly looked at Ryn and then looked back at Tristan. “One thing that stands out is you love to dance and she doesn’t.”

  He nodded and said, “True.”

  I continued on. “She seems like she is a safe pick for you. After talking to her, I know she is focused on her career big time. She works a lot and likes to have fun. So I’m guessing she isn’t pressuring you to settle down.”

  He stared at me, not saying a word. “I’m guessing there might be another girl in there somewhere? Am I right?”

  He closed his eyes and smiled and then opened them again. “Her name is Liberty and she is the polar opposite of Ryn.”

  I let out a giggle and said, “That scares you?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t necessarily think it scares me. She just wants…more. I’m not ready for more. But I think when I am, Liberty is who I should be with. She is smart, has a good head on her shoulders and would be a good fit for me.”

  I nodded.

  Tristan pulled back and smiled and said, “I have to tell you, Azurdee, I haven’t seen my brother this happy in a very long time. You know about Nikki, right?”

  I nodded my head and said, “Yes.”

  Tristan looked over toward Lark, who was still talking to the same guy. When he looked back at me his expression changed. “He also told me you know he is still in the Marines.”

  I sucked in a breath of air. “You know?”

  “I’m the only other person besides you who knows. He wanted to let someone else know just in case. Well, I mean. Ah…”

  Tristan must know what Lark does in the Marine Corps.

  “It’s okay, Tristan. I don’t pressure Lark to tell me anything. I figured if he needed me to know he would tell me. It was a mistake on his part that I even found out. I had my suspicions, but I would never pressure him. I love him too much.”

  The smile that spread across Tristan’s face caused me to smile. “What are you smiling so big about?” I asked.

  “You have no idea how much my brother is in love with you, do you?”

  The same feeling I had when Joyce said Lark was in love with me happened again. I gripped onto Tristan harder and looked at Lark, who was now watching Tristan and me dance. He smiled and I quickly looked back at Tristan.

  “Azurdee, just be patient with him. He’s guarded his heart for so long, afraid to let anyone else in for fear they would leave him like Nikki did. Her death really messed him up. He just needed to find the one person who would be able to wake up those feelings again.”

  I smiled slightly and whispered, “I’m not Nikki, though.”

  He laughed and said, “No, you are not. Nikki was Lark’s safety net. She was his Ryn. Lark was planning on asking Nikki to marry him.”

  I momentarily stopped breathing and looked away. Panic began filling my chest and I wasn’t sure why. I looked back at Tristan and gave him a confused look.

  “She would have said no, and Lark knew there was no way in hell she would say yes. She was the type of girl who wanted to do things her way, was completely career driven and just wanted to have fun with no ties. When she left to go on that trip to the coast, Lark was devastated. They had planned to spend time together at our grandparents’ condo in New Mexico. Nikki found out a couple friends were heading to the coast, so she dropped Lark for them. Nikki knew Lark was hurt by it and that’s why she decided to come home a day earlier. She wanted to make it up to him, but she did shit like that to him all the time. Made plans and dropped them. Lark has felt guilty for her death ever since. He told me once if he hadn’t made her feel guilty for leaving on that trip, maybe she would still be alive.”

  The song had ended and another song began playing. I shook my head and asked, “If Lark knew she wasn’t the type to settle down, why was he planning on asking her to marry him if he thought she would say no?”

  Tristan shrugged. “Same reason I brought Ryn home to meet my parents and not Liberty. The idea of settling down but knowing you never really will. If I had brought Liberty to meet my parents, Liberty and my mother would have begun planning our wedding. No way in hell I’m ready for that. Ryn makes me happy. She is fun, sexy as hell, and just enjoys me for me. She could care less I have money. There is no pressure, no expectations with Ryn. I think that was how Nikki was for Lark, but deep down inside I think Lark truly wanted all of the other things, he just knew he would never get them with Nikki, even though he wanted to believe he would. I think he would have waited forever for her…or until he met someone who made him want more. You’re the one who makes Lark want more, Azurdee. Don’t ever think he is comparing you to Nikki. The way he looks at you—I’ve never seen him look at another girl that way, not even Nikki.”

  I shook my head and said, “I would never hurt him.”

  He nodded and said, “I know. That’s not what I’m afraid of.”

  I tiled my head and asked, “What do you mean?”

  “I’m afraid he is going to be the one hurting you if he doesn’t open up his heart soon.”

  I took a step back away from Tristan and was about to ask him another question, when my whole body came to attention because Lark placed his hand on the small of my back. I quickly looked up into his eyes. He was smiling, but the smile didn’t touch his eyes. He looked more concerned than anything.

  “This sure looks like a serious conversation,” Lark said as he slowly looked away from me and over to his brother.

  Tristan smiled and when I looked at him he winked. “Azurdee is beginning to panic about her place opening soon. I was trying to let her know not to worry. Sometimes things take longer to fall into place but those are usually the best things in life. The things we have to wait longer for.”

  He slapped Lark on the back and began walking over to Ryn. He whispered something into her ear and she stood up and they began walking out of the dance hall.

  Lark looked back at me and smiled. I smiled and tried like hell to calm my beating heart.

  When Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” began playing, Lark smiled so big it caused my stomach to drop.

  “Dance with me, mi amor.”

  I nodded, and when he pulled me up against his body I instantly relaxed. The way his body moved with mine made it feel like we were on
e. We didn’t speak at all as we danced.

  Finally our silence was broken when Lark asked, “What were you and my brother talking about?”

  I bit down on my lower lip. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I didn’t want him to think we were talking about him also. I pulled back and looked into his eyes and smiled slightly. “We talked about Ryn and Liberty. A little bit about you and me.”

  His jaw tightened and he attempted to smile. “What about me and you?”

  “Michael, may I cut in?”

  I quickly looked and saw Lark’s father standing there with a smile on his face. I could tell by Lark’s body language he was not happy about this, but he smiled and held out his hand for his father to take the lead.

  Peter took me into his arms and we took off two-stepping. I quickly found out where Lark and Tristan got all their charm.

  “I daresay you are the most beautiful girl in the room, Azurdee,” Peter said with a sly smile.

  “Hmm…do I detect a little bit of bribing about to head my way?” I said with a giggle. Peter threw his head back and laughed before looking at me again and saying, “Not only beautiful, but smart as well.”

  “Oh yeah, a bribe is coming for sure,” I said as I smiled bigger. I looked across the room and saw that Lark was watching us. He had a slight smile on his face, which caused me to relax a little.

  “What will it take to get you to talk my son into coming home more often? He hasn’t been home in months.”

  I looked at Peter with a shocked look on my face. “I would figure he came home a lot. I would if this was home for me. It’s beautiful here.”

  Peter shook his head and his eyes filled with sadness. “No, neither one of boys really come home very often. I had such dreams for them. They were both going to help me run the ranch and we would work together every day.” He tilted his head and frowned. “I guess they had dreams of their own though.”

  I smiled slightly and said, “Lark talks so much about the ranch. I know he loves it here.” I glanced back over toward Lark. He was talking to Tristan and it appeared to be a serious conversation. When Lark looked back over to me he shook his head and turned to walk out. Panic filled my body from head to toe and I wasn’t sure why. Was he leaving? Did he get called away again? Did Tristan tell him we were talking about him and Nikki?